What is Salish Sea Expeditions?

Salish Sea Expeditions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established to provide an opportunity for students to design and conduct real scientific research from the decks of a sailing vessel on Puget Sound.

What vessel is used?

Programs occur aboard Carlyn, a 61’ yawl built in 1996, belonging to Four Winds*Westward Ho Camps.  Carlyn is a US Coast Guard (USCG) inspected vessel.

How many crew members are there, and what qualifications do they have?

There are a minimum of five crew members on all programs.  All have experience working with teenagers in residential settings and all have first aid training.  The Captain and Mate are licensed by the USCG and have experience operating sailing school vessels.  The Educators/Scientists have science degrees with experience both in the teaching and research fields.  Most also have sea time experience.  Specific qualifications vary from season to season. 
 
What does a program involve?

In the classroom, students are taught scientific principles and provided with background scientific information. They then identify a suitable marine research topic and work with our staff to organize a research expedition.  Students are key decision makers in every aspect of planning and conducting the program. 
 Groups must be willing to work within the “watch system” structure used by most non-pleasure marine vessels.  This is a rotation that allows for equal sharing of all aspects of the expedition.  Everyone will be expected to help handle sail, cook meals, launch and recover scientific gear, scrub toilets, evaluate data, plot a course, wash dishes, stand a night watch, etc.  
 On overnight programs, one watch (half the students) sleep ashore in tents at a marine state park and the other watch sleeps on board Carlyn. 

How long are programs?

You can choose the length of your program aboard the ship (from 1-5 days).  We also offer pre- and post-trip classroom sessions at no additional charge.  These sessions are designed to maximize the experience by providing students with the background knowledge and skills they will need to be involved in the decision-making process. 
 At a minimum, we recommend at least one 90 minute pre-trip session focusing on developing a hypothesis, sampling plan and itinerary.  There are many other optional pre-trip topics, ranging from chart reading to environmental issues, and several post-trip topics, centering on data analysis and presentation.  You decide how much time you would like to dedicate to these sessions and what topics you would like us to address.  Sessions can be arranged before, during or after school.  The entire group does not need to attend every session.

We don’t have enough students, can we pair with another group?

Yes, you can pair with another group.  We can try to help you find one or you can come up with your own.  Your group can be mixed age (any combination of 5-12th graders) and parents are also welcome to participate as part of the group.  In all cases we would need to insure that program plans meet the needs of all parties and we would arrange for the entire group to meet before going out on the boat. It is also possible to bring groups of less than 25 people, but the cost will be higher.  The exact cost depends on how many are in your group.

Will boys and girls be sleeping in the same areas?

No.  The sleeping areas of the ship are divided into two completely separate compartments, each having its own “head” (toilet and sink).  There will be at least one adult in each sleeping area.  There are several large tents for camping ashore that will also be organized in single sex units (this is one of the few aspects of the program where student input will not be sought). 

What are the sleeping areas like?

Open dormitories.  Each bunk has a thick, covered mattress with a “fiddle” to keep sleepers from rolling out if the ship moves in the night.  Space is very limited and students will also be sharing their bunk with their personal gear.  For this reason, we ask that they bring only the items on the list and pack in a soft bag.  For those sleeping ashore, we provide insulate pads and if needed, transport their gear in “dry bags.”

Is sea sickness a problem?

Sea sickness is generally caused by the motion of big ocean swells.  Puget Sound is protected from swells by the land that surrounds it.  Seasickness can often act as a self-fulfilling prophesy; if you come aboard convinced you will get seasick, then you probably will!  Most people that experience seasickness do so when they are below decks for long periods of time.  They usually feel better just by coming up on deck, getting some fresh air, and looking at the horizon.  If you know that motion sickness is a problem, consult your doctor about a motion sickness product.  These products tend to make you feel drowsy and usually need to be taken several hours before going out on the water.  Please, only use them if you know that motion sickness is a problem!  You may want to look into alternative remedies such as ginger (tea or candied) and wrist bands that work using pressure points.

What instruments will be available for research?

        •  Stereo Microscopes
        •  Compound Microscopes with video camera attachment
        •  Plankton nets (zooplankton & phytoplankton) & Plankton sieve
        •  Dip Net 
        •  Bottom grab
        •  Sediment Sieves
        •  Secci disc
        •  Van Dorn water sampling bottle
        •  Water Quality Kits(DO, phosphate, nitrate, silicates, pH, fecal coliform) LaMotte,Chemetrics
        •  Dissolved Oxygen, Salinity, Temperature and pH probes
        •  Refractometer
        •  Underwater Video Camera
        •  Hydrophone
        •  Computer for tracking and analyzing data and writing the cruise report.
        •  Glassware, buckets, tubs, rulers, resource books, field guides, etc.
        •  Weather Monitoring (barometer, sling chronometer, thermometer, Beaufort scale)

Additional research equipment is available for loan (beach seine, core sampler, CTD, etc.) should our capabilities not meet your research needs. Exactly what equipment your group uses depends on what the students want to study.  Again, our program is not “canned;” once your students decide what they want to study we’ll design the program together.

Where in Puget Sound will we be and how can we let parents know?

Before your expedition starts, your students will have a great many decisions to make in planning their expedition.  Part of this exercise is to have them choose where in Puget Sound they will travel over the course of their expedition.  Students will create a detailed itinerary of their trip including details such as the locations of planned scientific sampling stations for each day, where they intend to camp, what the tides and currents are doing, what they are going to eat for each meal and what duties a student will be performing at any given time.  This itinerary can be distributed to parents and school administrators.  

How far will the boat travel each day?

As with all aspects of the trip planning, your students will be deciding exactly where to sail each day, taking into consideration what sampling needs to get done, the tides and currents and where they want to camp for the evening. 
 In general, the greater the distance you attempt to sail, the less time you have for sampling stations.  We encourage the students to make conservative plans that do not cover a lot of physical distance so that they have greater flexibility in meeting the challenges of the day.

How far will the boat be from the campers?  

Ideal locations are those where the ship is in direct sight of the camp.  Occasionally the campsite will not have a protected enough moorage for Carlyn, in which case the ship will moor in the closest possible safe anchorage.  In general, we try to keep the campers and the boat as close together as possible.  Some staff and chaperones will be sleeping with the watch ashore.

 What kind of communication system is there between boat and campers?

Most of our camping locations are marine state parks.  We communicate between ship and shore via our hand held two-way radios or cell phone. 

What kind of plan do you have for emergencies while students are on board?

Any vessel carrying passengers for hire must meet construction and operations standards established by the USCG.  Carlyn was designed and certified under the Sailing School Ship Vessel Act.  As the name implies, vessels certified under the Sailing School Vessel Act are meant to be used as training vessels and operated by students.  As such, the safety margin in construction standards and operational requirements are quite high.
 Carlyn is required to have plans that meet or exceed response standards set by the USCG for just about any incident.  These mainly address major vessel incidents such as man-overboard, fire, collision, and abandon ship.  Every Captain is required by law to thoroughly train and drill their crew in whatever the approved procedures are for that particular vessel.  When you board the vessel, the Captain will personally discuss with the group what to do in the event of an emergency.  An emergency drill will be part of your program.  Carlyn is also required to carry emergency supplies and equipment including radios, flares, first aid kits, life raft, life sling and jackets. 

 We have established safety procedures for every activity the students participate in, both aboard the ship and while ashore.  Students are informed of the procedures before engaging in the activity.  Students who can not follow the procedures do not participate.

Do students wear Personal Flotation Devices-PFD’s (lifejackets)?

Yes.  Any time they are working on deck while the boat is underway or in the small boats they will be required to wear Type III PFD’s (like kayakers wear).  We are also required to carry the Type I PFD's (highest USCG buoyancy rating) for each person on board.

Could a parent contact their child if there were an emergency at home?

Yes.  During office hours, the preferred method is to contact our office staff and they will call the ship on the cell phone.  After hours, the vessel is reachable directly by cell phone.  The pre-trip parent information will have the office and boat telephone numbers.

What are your payment policies? 

The total fee is $2300/day for up to 30 participants.  This includes pre and post trip classroom visits, all food, all supplies and instruction.  Our payment policy is a nonrefundable deposit of $300 due with your contract, the first 1/3rd of the total cost due 60 days prior to your expedition, the second 1/3rd of the total cost due at 30 days prior to your expedition and the balance due the first day of the voyage.  If that doesn’t work in your district, just let us know and we’ll work out an alternative.

What do students need that is not covered in the program fee?

Students will need to bring appropriate clothing (we will supply a list) packed in a duffel or gym bag and a backpacking type (compressible) sleeping bag.  We supply rain gear, tents, sleeping pads and PFD’s.

How much insurance coverage do you have?

Participants are covered by a $5,000,000 liability policy.